


Lovestrong

by freedomworm



Series: Lovestrong [1]
Category: X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Out of Character, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-06
Updated: 2012-04-06
Packaged: 2017-11-03 04:15:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/377080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/freedomworm/pseuds/freedomworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bobby snaps.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Lovestrong

Part I (Bang Bang Bang):

 

_All my life you know_

_I haven't been very love strong_

_Cause there's so many fights_

_That I fought and had never won_

 

“I would have hoped that you noticed by now –but I am _not_ just someone you can play around with! You can’t go around sleeping with someone else and just expect me to understand and be okay with it-”

“Jean Paul-”

“Do not try and explain, Robert. We –this is over.”

The door slammed close, leaving Bobby Drake standing in the middle of a now half-bare room.

_  
So I decided that I should just give up_

_Trying to right your wrong_

 

Jean Paul opened the door to his old room. The air was still and musty. Flinging his things into various drawers, Jean Paul sat down on his bed and stared at his hands, which curled up into fists. They trembled and Jean Paul clenched his teeth together, biting back his tears.

He would not… would _not_ …

Jean Paul let out a strangled sob and crawled to the corner of the bed, curling up against the wall.

 

_  
And word on the street is she did to you_

_What you did to me…_

_  
Five, four, three, two, one_

_Bang, Bang, Bang boy_

_You're going down, down, down boy_

_To the ground where you left my heart to bleed_

_Bang, she shot you…_

 

“I screwed up.”

The room is empty. No one answers.

“I –shit… I just… I was scared…”

Bobby put his face in his hands, “I always screw up,” he whispered.

He stood up and walked over to his desk. He took the frame of Jean Paul and himself off the top and opened a drawer.

It was filled with scraps of paper, which he pushed aside to make room for the picture.

He started to close the drawer but noticed a bit of green poking out from the corner.

Pulling at it, he found the green to be part of a picture.

Of Polaris.

Staring at the photo, the familiar green hair, purple lips, something deep within Bobby Drake snapped.

He walked over to his window and opened it.

He glared at Lorna Dane as ice formed over the photo. Dropping it outside, he laughed hollowly as it shattered against the sidewalk.

In his heart, the tear Polaris had caused so long ago was still there.

Even Jean Paul couldn’t mend Bobby’s broken heart.

And so to heal himself, he had decided to break someone else.

Jean Paul Beaubier.

Bobby clenched his fists together.

He wasn’t known for keeping grudges –no, that was Rogue –but Bobby did keep one. It was against Lorna Dane. She broke his heart, stomped all over the pieces, and then came back to repair the fragile parts before shattering them all once more.

And the worst part was that she never really noticed how bad she had left Bobby.

 

 

He opened his door.

Lorna was easy to find. She was in the Rec Room, playing poker with Remy, Logan, and Rogue.

They all looked up as Bobby stopped in front of the table.

“Wanna join, sugah?” Rogue wondered.

Logan sniffed at the air and his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Bobby smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, “No time to play. Sorry,”

Remy raised an eyebrow and lightly charged a card in his hand, “Is dere a problem, _homme_?”

Bobby directed his smile towards Remy. The card in his hand froze.

Startled, Gambit dropped it and it shattered on the table.

“Lorna,” Bobby said, “Did you ever stop to realize how much damage you did?”

Lorna scoffed and rolled her eyes, “Bobby, what’s with the psychopath act?”

“Darlin’,” Logan stood up and unsheathed his claws, “I don’t think he’s actin’.”

Bobby looked at his claws and then looked at his face.

“What the hell-?” Logan looked down as he noticed the ice creeping up his legs.

Rogue started forward, “Bobby-” she said.

He sent a cage of ice around her.

“Okay, bub, you’re goin’ down,” Logan growled and leapt forward, claws extended, ready to slice through some skin…

He fell to the ground in thick block of ice.

“Sorry,” He said only somewhat remorsefully, “But at least _you’ll_ heal,”

Turning to the two remaining X Men in the room, he tilted his head to the side, “Are you going to move, Gambit?”

 Remy charged a handful of cards in response.

“Well, then, I’m really sorry,” Bobby said.

He raised his arms and entirely iced Remy’s hands then froze his boots to the ground.

“Iceman’s gone rogue!” Gambit yelled.

Bobby took two strides across the room and punched the Cajun with an iced fist.

He fell over unconscious.

 “So,” Polaris said.

Bobby turned, “So,”

“My turn, huh?” She said calmly, putting down her hand of cards.

Bobby smiled coldly, “Your turn,” He agreed.

Lorna watched as Bobby iced up and her brow furrowed.

Her hands balled into fists in her lap.

“I’m pure ice, Lorna,” Bobby said, “You can’t use your powers on me,”

 Her eyes widened as the sofa froze, keeping her in place.

Two claws of ice extended from Bobby’s fist, imitating X23.

With a humorless laugh, Bobby brought his fist back, before letting it fly, driving the claws of ice through Lorna’s chest. 

 

_Karma tastes so sweet._

 

 

Part II (The Lonely):

 

_2am; where do I begin,_

_Crying off my face again._

_The silent sound of loneliness_

_Wants to follow me to bed._

_  
_ Jean Paul stared into the mirror. Made sure he was composed. Every hair was in place. His clothes didn’t have a single wrinkle.

Utter perfection.

That’s what he needed.

Perfect.

Jean Paul was at the door in a second.

He opened it quickly, lest he suddenly be overwhelmed by fright.

            The hall was unusually empty, even for seven AM.

            A few seconds later, Jean Paul entered the kitchen.

It was also uncharacteristically empty.

            No one had even started the coffee maker.

Now alert, the Quebecois sped through the mansion, looking for a sign of life.

            He encountered a few students, huddled in a group, gossiping and looking worried and scared.

            They glanced over at their teacher as he came by.

“Mr. Beaubier… are the rumors true?” One particularly bold student wondered, “Did Mr. Drake go rogue on the others?

            Jean Paul blinked at the mention of Bobby, but then concentrated on what the student was saying, “What?”

            “We heard…” another student spoke up, “Last night Iceman attacked some of the other X Men… he almost killed one of them,”

            Jean Paul gave them all a hard look, “Where did you hear this?”

They glanced among themselves but didn’t answer and Jean Paul, growing impatient, zoomed away.

            He stopped by the med lab. He couldn’t believe that Bobby would possibly try and kill a team mate on purpose… cruelly break and rip apart their heart, yes, but not kill.

            To his horror, however, he found the med lab filled with half the X Men.

One of the younger students –a golden skinned healer –was asleep in one of the chairs beside a bed which held an unconscious Lorna Dane.

            Rogue and Gambit were sitting on another bed, and Logan was scowling on another, looking fine, other than the fact that he was shivering and slightly frost-bitten. But with his healing factor, if Bobby attacked him the night before, that would mean… he had been frozen solid!

            “What happened?” Jean Paul asked the closest person –Alex.

Alex glanced at him, “What, you didn’t hear?”

            Jean Paul just stared at him.

“Your boyfriend” –Jean Paul flinched –“is a little bit crazy right now. He almost killed Lorna. ”

_  
Dancing slowly in an empty room,_

_Can the lonely take the place of you?_

 

“What’s wrong with him?”

Scott sighed, “He’s just not in his right mind,”

Jean Paul stared through the glass, “Why is he wearing a Genoshan Collar?”

“He’s dangerous right now.” Scott replied. He turned his back to  Bobby and the containment chamber, “Jean Paul, I think it would be best if…”

“If what?”

“We have him stay in a S.H.I.E.L.D isolation room. There are over one-hundred-fifty mutant children here. It’s not safe for them or Bobby.”

Jean Paul sniffed and straightened up, “It’s not my decision, Scott,”

“Yeah, but you’re his-”

“Ex,” Jean Paul said, crossing his arms, “So, as the head of the school, it is _your_ decision more than mine.”

_  
I sing myself a quiet lullaby._

_Let you go and let the lonely in_

_To take my heart again._

 

Val Cooper stared through the glass at Bobby Drake, “Yeah, he’s gone,” She muttered.

Bobby stood in the middle of the room, swaying and turning slowly on the spot. His eyes were closed and his expression was serene. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Val straightened up with a huff and gestured to two SHIELD agents that accompanied her, “Get him outta there and into the ‘copter.”

Jean Paul stood by the back window as SHIELD agents led Iceman into a waiting helicopter.

“He’s broken,”

Rogue stood next to him, arms crossed.

“Excuse me?”

“He’s broken,” She repeated as they watched the air craft take off into the air, “No one really noticed how badly off he was. Ah mean, he really got played by Lorna.”

“We broke up… last night,” Jean Paul bit his lower lip, “Do you -?”

“Wasn’t your fault, JP,” Rogue assured him, “Sorry about that. Ya had tah get pulled into all that. Ah think Bobby really did care about ya, though.” She patted his shoulder and walked away.

Jean Paul stared out the window where the air was still swirling from the helicopter’s blades.

So that was it.

He was just there.

Bobby never did love him.

_  
Too afraid to go inside_

_For the pain of one more loveless night._

_But the loneliness will stay with me_

_And hold me till I fall asleep._

__  
  


            Jubilee hesitated at Jean Paul’s door and then knocked.

No one answered, but she knew that he was inside, “Jean Paul?” she said softly, “Some of us are gonna go see Bobby. Scott finally convinced SHIELD it was safe. Ya wanna come with?”

            “ _Non_ ,” Jean Paul answered from the other side, “I have papers to grade. Next time, perhaps.”

“Yeah, okay, I just thought… it’s been two weeks…”

            Jubilee leaned closer to the door, but heard nothing. After a moment, she walked away.

Inside, Jean Paul put down his pen and leaned back.

            Quickly, he stood up and raced down the hall.

He stopped the elevator just as it was about to close and stepped in next to Jubilee, “I have changed my mind. The papers can wait.”

 

_I’m the ghost of the boy*_

_That I want to be most_

_I’m the shadow of the boy*_

_I used to know so well…_

“He’s always dancing by himself,” the SHIELD agent who led the group in said.

Bobby stood in the middle of the room, turning slowly, smiling faintly.

“Maybe he just needs someone to dance with,” Jubilee said, completely serious.

The SHIELD agent opened the door, “Don’t say anything that’ll get him worked up. And don’t take off the Genoshan collar for him. Leave when you feel like it.”

Jean Paul, Jubilee, Scott, and Bobby’s other close friends Hank, Warren, Rogue and Sam filed into the roomy area where Iceman was being kept.

He kept turning even when he noticed them and smiled.

Hank cleared him throat after a moment.

“Hey, ice cube,” Jubilee said, walking up to him, “Need a partner?”

 

 _Dancing slowly in an empty room,_  
Can the lonely take the place of you?  
  


            Jubilee slipped into the spot in front of Bobby and swayed with him.

He grinned, “Hey Jubes,”

She smiled back, “Long time no see,”

_I sing myself a quiet lullaby._

 

Jubilee began to hum tunelessly to the rhythm of their movements and Bobby joined in. Their humming picked up speed and so did their steps.

 __  
Let you go and let the lonely in  
To take my heart again.

 

Jubilee did a quick twirl and spun out of Bobby’s grasp, laughing.

Hank clapped, “I had no idea you two were such skilled dancers!” He said warmly.

“Hey, Blue,” Bobby said, panting a little as he turned to the rest of the group.

The tension was broken a little as they all greeted Bobby.

Nobody mentioned what had happened to land him there. It came up once, when Bobby looked at Rogue and whispered, “Sorry,” But she dismissed the apology with forced cheeriness, eager to change the subject to a lighter topic. __  
  
Broken pieces of  
A barely breathing story

 _  
_ Jean Paul sat a little bit away, arms and legs crossed, on his guard.

Bobby never looked his way, and Jean Paul didn’t call attention to himself. After a very unbearable hour, Jean Paul quietly announced that he had to get back to the mansion to grade papers.

Scott decided to accompany him, as he had work to do also.

“Bye, Bobby,” Scott said as they headed out, “Next time, okay?”

            “Yeah, sure,” Bobby said, glancing over. His eyes slid over Jean Paul and paused for only a moment, to look into Jean Paul’s.

            “Good bye,” Jean Paul said, swallowing quickly.

Bobby looked away, “Uh huh, see ya,” He said nonchalantly, focusing his attention back on Jubilee, who had been in the midst of talking.

            Jean Paul tore his gaze away, squared his shoulders and followed Scott out of the room.

He was proud to note that he did _not_ look back or _turn_ back, and he did _not_ lose his composure until he was safely in his room and the door was locked and…

            It was safe to admit that he might be a little broken, too.

 

 

_Where there once was love  
Now there's only me and the lonely_

 

 

Part III (Tragedy):

 

_If you could envision  
The meaning of a tragedy _

 

“It’s the weekend, JP, what could you _possibly_ be busy with?” Jubilee made a face, “I know for a _fact_ that you have absolutely no papers to grade.”

Jean Paul finished buttoning up his coat and wrapped his scarf around his neck, “I’m going to see Bobby,”

Jubilee’s face fell and she looked at him sternly, “Listen, Jean Paul, this isn’t healthy for you. This is what, the eighth time this month? And it’s only the 11th!”

“I’m getting health advice from a girl who ingests so much sugar it’s a wonder how she is still so skinny!” Jean Paul scoffed.

“Nng,” Jubilee stuck out her tongue at his back as she followed him out the door, “Though seriously, Jean Paul. I’m –I’m worried about you.”

Jean Paul stopped and turned, raising an eyebrow.

The younger girl took a deep breath, “As much as I love Bobby –hell, he’s like my brother –I don’t think he… he won’t love you back –no matter how much you visit him.” Jubilee bit her lip as she finished.

After a moment, Jean Paul replied, “I realize that, Jubilee. Thank you for your concern.” __  
  
You might be surprised to hear it's you and me

 

“Back again?” The S.H.I.E.L.D agent overseeing Bobby’s room said as Jean Paul arrived.

“ _Oui,_ ” he forced a smile.

“You know the procedure,” she said.

“ _Oui_ ,” he repeated quietly, placing his coat and scarf on a coat rack.

The agent typed in a code on the control panel where she sat and the door unlocked with a buzz.

 __  
When it comes down to it  
You never made the most of it

 

“Back again?” Bobby said as Jean Paul closed the door.

“I had nothing else to do,” he said, pulling a chair out of the corner of the room and dragging it over to where Bobby sat on his bed, legs crossed.

“How’s Lorna?” Bobby said conversationally.

“Still fine. As I said last time.”

“Seriously?” Bobby scowled.

Jean Paul didn’t reply, “I think you may be a little obsessed with Polaris,” he said instead.

“Yeah. You said so two visits ago. You’re not losing your memory are you?” Bobby tilted his head and raised his eyebrow in a remarkable imitation of Jean Paul himself.

“I’m simply attempting to make it sink in,” Jean Paul said dryly,

“Well I heard it the first three times, _mother_ ,” Bobby retorted.

“Speaking of whom…” Jean Paul said, ignoring Bobby’s icy tones, “Your parents are not aware of your situation, _oui_?”

“You can tell ‘em,” Bobby snorted, “They couldn’t care less if I _died_.” He glared at Jean Paul, “And _you_ shouldn’t care, either. Dunno why you do, honestly.” __  
  
So I cry, cry cried but now I say goodbye  
And I won't be made a fool of  
Don't call this love

“Back again?” Bobby sneered as Jean Paul sat down across from him.

His eyes never left the magazine he was reading, “So. How’s Lorna?”

“Still alive,” Jean Paul said dryly.

Bobby frowned at the page he was reading.

“She’s not just going to drop dead, Bobby,” Jean Paul said.

“One can hope,” Bobby muttered under his breath, turning the page.

After a few minutes, he threw the magazine aside, “So whadaya want now?” he said with agitation as he looked up at Jean Paul.

“Happy birthday,”

Bobby raised his eyebrows and then looked away, snorting, “Wow,” he said, glancing back at Jean Paul, “You’re pathetic. Why don’t you go somewhere you’re wanted?”

Jean Paul stood up, knocking his chair back, “Listen to me,” He hissed, grabbing the front of Bobby’s shirt, “Snap out of this. You have to let go of what Lorna did, Bobby.  She is not worth it. Keeping this obsession of yours makes out that you think she is.”

Bobby’s eyes grew hard as he stared back at Jean Paul. He clenched his jaw ground his teeth together, “She’ll be worth it ‘till she’s buried in Hell.”

 __  
When did you decide I didn't have enough to buy  
Forgive and forget you a thousand times  
For the fire and the sleepless nights

“She’s _alone_ , Bobby!” Jean Paul said, dropping Bobby back onto the bed, “She doesn’t have anyone! You had way more than she did and you threw it all away!”

“You’re not really that much-” Bobby interjected snidely.

            Jean Paul slapped him.

 __  
And I won't be made a fool of  
Don't call this love

“I’m not just talking about myself, Bobby! You had friends, too! Friends who never even visit you more than twice a month now!” Jean Paul yelled. He turned on his heal and signaled the SHIELD agent at the door to open it.

_Why did you feel the need to prove that everybody else was right  
No I won't fight_

 

“Jean Paul, are you -?”

He whirled around, “ _non_ , I am _not_ okay, Jubilee!” he snapped.

The whole hall was quiet.

Jean Paul glanced around to notice a good number of students as well as teachers who were frozen and staring at him with shocked expressions.

 __  
  
Ohhhh you’re my Tragedy...  
You're my Tragedy ooohh  
This is a… ohhh no no no no no

Jean Paul slammed his door behind him and strode across the room. He sat down at his desk and stared at the frames lining the corner. Reaching out, he slammed the one of Bobby and himself face on the desktop and heard the glass crack.

            Crying angrily, Jean Paul stood up and opened the window before taking off into the sky.

 

Jubilee knocked softly on Jean Paul’s door, “JP? You in there?” she tried the doorknob after no one answered.

            Stepping inside, Jubilee immediately knew that the Quebecois had flew away out the open window.

            Sighing, she walked across the room to close it, throwing some fallen blankets back onto the bed as she went.

            After securing the window, Jubilee looked around to see if anything else needed straightening up.

            She went to the desk and looked through the papers on top of it. Nothing important.

Absently, she picked up a picture frame that had been knocked over and righted it.

            It wasn’t until she was about to leave that she noticed that the glass of the picture had been cracked.

Oddly, it ran right between Bobby and Jean Paul in the photo.

            She sighed, “Oh guys,” she murmured, “I’m so sorry,”

 

_…Tragedy…_


End file.
